ecse.cse.state.ma.us Applying for Child Support Enforcement Services : Department of Revenue

Name of the Organization : Department of Revenue Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Type of Facility : Applying for Child Support Enforcement Services
State : Massachusetts
Country : United States of America

Website : ecse [dot] cse [dot] state [dot] ma [dot] us

Applying for Child Support Enforcement Services :

What child support enforcement services does DOR offer?
DOR offers the following child support enforcement services:
** Locate parents.
** Establish paternity for your child under 18 years of age, which may include arranging for DNA paternity tests.

Related : Department of Revenue Pay Your Tax Bill by Credit Card  USA : www.statusin.org/25877.html

** Establish a child support and a medical support order for your child.
** Enforce child support and medical support orders by identifying employers and issuing income withholding and medical support orders to them.
** Collect and distribute payments via direct deposit or debit card.
** Monitor payments for compliance.

Collect past-due child support until paid in full by taking the following actions as appropriate:
** Increase the amount of income withholding by 25%.
** Seize bank accounts.
** Intercept state and federal tax refunds, insurance claims, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation or lottery winnings.
** Suspend driver’s, business, trade, or professional licenses or motor vehicle registrations.
** Send the case to the U.S. Department of State to deny issuance or renewal of a passport.
** Place liens on real estate and personal property.
** Seize real estate and personal property.
** Report the parent’s debt to credit reporting agencies.
** Send the case to a collection agency.
** Seek civil contempt of court (the court may order participation in a seek work program or incarceration).
** Initiate prosecution for criminal nonsupport.

** Assist you in asking the court to modify the amount of your child support order (either upward or downward).
** Work with child support agencies in other states, if necessary.
** State and federal law and DOR’s policies and procedures govern all child support services we offer.
** DOR will decide what services may be available and best suited to a case.
** In some situations, this may mean that we handle your case differently from what you would prefer.
** It is not possible for you to choose the actions we take on your case.
** Because our caseloads are high, there may be times when it may not be possible to devote as much individual attention to your case as you or DOR would like.

What are my responsibilities if I want child support enforcement services from DOR?
You MUST :
** Cooperate with us and provide the information necessary to process your case.
** Provide DOR with your name, address, home and cell telephone numbers, e-mail address, Social Security number, and any other information we may need from you.
** Tell DOR if any of that information changes.
** Sign forms as necessary.
** Appear in court and for other appointments when necessary.
** Tell DOR before you enter into any agreement, waiver, stipulation or modification that would affect your child support order so we can give the court information it needs about your child support case.

** Tell DOR if you get a new child support order or if your order changes.
** Review and verify the information on checks, statements, court orders, direct deposit and debit card information, and other documents DOR sends to you and notify DOR if you see an error.
** Return a payment to DOR if you received it in error.
** Provide DOR with copies of documents we may need to process your case such as birth and/or marriage certificates, court orders, and divorce orders.

You must NOT :
** Make payments directly to or accept payments directly from the other parent.

Will DOR help me with custody and visitation?
** DOR does not provide services related to custody and visitation.
** If you need assistance with custody or visitation, you may contact your local Probate and Family Court for help.

Why do I need to give DOR my Social Security number?
** Federal law requires you to give your Social Security number to DOR.
** DOR uses Social Security numbers to identify customers correctly and to locate parents for purposes of establishing paternity and establishing, modifying and enforcing child support obligations.
** The law that requires this is 42 USC Section 405(c)(2)(C).

How are child support payments distributed if a parent owes support to more than one family?
** DOR must distribute support payments among all the families, with payments going first to current support and then to any past-due support.
** If a parent pays less than the full amount of child support owed for all families, the amount collected is distributed in proportion to the amount of support owed to each family.

How are child support payments sent to me?
** DOR sends support payments through direct deposit into your checking or savings account or via DOR’s Child Support Card – a VISA®-branded debit card.
** We do not send checks by mail except on a very limited basis if certain hardship exemptions apply.

Will DOR protect my personal information?
**We protect your personal information to the extent possible but we are required by state and federal law to share your information with
** Other state agencies or entities for the purpose of enforcing child and medical support orders.

** For example, federal law requires DOR to provide a custodial parent’s address to the other parent’s employer so the employer can enroll the children in a health care plan.
** The court, on documents that may be reviewed by the other parent.
** A judge may remove a parent’s address from court documents, but the county and state where each parent lives still appear.